Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare

One of my most frequently uttered lines is "... yar... History / International Relations / Anthropology / Pyschology is interesting to read lar but if u want me to study, wah, cannot lar.." there is of cos, nothing wrong with this statement becos it accurately describes my preferences... the problem, however, is tt it does not accurately represent what i usually do, which includes many many many things except read social science books... honestly i feel tt this is a huge waste of the resources i hav at hand, which includes convenient access to the British Library of Political and Economic Science housed in my school...

Yesterday, i was in the library waiting in the queue for the photocopy machine and i saw this book: 'Cambridge Illustrated History of Warfare'... browsed thru the first few pages and was quickly hooked onto the interesting content, colourful pictures and glossy pages... i borrowed the book and after reading the first few chapters, i realised tt the book has another major attraction which suits my taste very much -- hilarious pictures.. while most of the captions are very sensible and informative, some are accompanied by pictures whose relations to the captions are stretched beyond the breaking point... for example:

"Caption: Only 2 civilizations have invented drill for their infantry: China and Europe. Moreover, both of them did so twice: in the fifth century BC, in North China and in Greece, and again in the late sixteenth century. Exponents of the second phase - Ch'i Chi-kuang in Imperial China and Maurice of Nassau in the Dutch Republic - explicitly sought to revive classical precedents, and in the West marching in step and standing on parade became a permanent part of military life (even when as for one British Guardsman in 1970, the ordeal proved overwhelming)."

yes, i'm sure tt is the only picture related to drill which the author could find given many centuries of proud military tradition in both the East and West....

Another one:

"Caption: The search for a 'wonder weapon' that might secure instant victory obsessed both sides in World War II. Germany developed a liquid-fuel ballistic missle, yet despite huge expenditure (...) the first 'Vengeance Weapon 2' (V-2 rocket) only struck London in September 1944. Shortly afterwards General Walter Dornberger (the project director) and Dr Wernher von Braun (the chief scientist) received from Hitler a telegram of congratulation and a Knight's Cross (which both of them wear in the photograph, taken at a celebratory dinner). However, the 3000 or so rockets launched did little to stave of Germany's defeat."

yes, i'm also sure that is the most serious picture they can find becos all the other possible pictures regarding the missile, or the research facility or London getting razed are not serious enough...

when i grow up, i want to write an illustrated history book too...